Meet “gStretch” from Fiddlerman’s “Fiddle Talk” forum

If you like, please begin by telling us anything you would like to about yourself. Age, place of birth, residence, etc.
I’m 17 years old. I was born in a little town called Henderson Texas and am currently living there. I’ve been homeschooled since…well…pre-k you could say. 🙂 I have two great parents (a lot of people seem to have two parents….) who have always been there for me. I’ve grown up an only child but I have two older brothers, one of whom is married and has four kids. (yep, I’m an uncle…four times! Haha 🙂 ) that’s about it 🙂

What made you decide to play the violin?
I was looking for a portable instrument and considered several: the recorder, harmonica, and flute. Then I found Fiddlerman’s “Cheap Violin Review”. I noticed he was giving away another violin, so I went for it. And what happened? I actually won. I’ve been given an incredible opportunity…and it’s a portable instrument 🙂

How long have you been playing the violin?
I’ve had the CVN200 for almost a month. That’s not very long at all. 🙂

How often do you play? How long are your practice sessions?
I try to practice for at least 30 minutes once a day, but sometimes its every other day or so.

In your opinion, what’s your proficiency on the violin?
Ummm, listening to other’s play the violin. 😀

Your greatest personal experience with playing?
Realizing I was making progress and without tape :D. after playing notes over and over on the first string my first finger went down in a pretty good spot 🙂

What other instruments do you play?
The piano is my main instrument. I play the recorder (my mom probably wishes I didn’t have that one) and the flute a little. I recently got a pan flute and a kena (vertical flute, supposedly from the Incas in Peru) and am starting to pick up the guitar a little bit again.

What does music mean to you?
Music is a way to express any emotion possible. It’s a way to praise God and connect with others.

What or who has been your greatest influence?
probably my piano teacher. She’s taught me how to be musical in my playing and not just play notes like some teachers. That carries over to all instruments, not just the piano.
my faith has also influenced the kind of music I play and listen to.

What are your goals for playing violin? Short and long.
Short term: violin 4 of the Christmas Project
Long term: be able to play anything I want.

What type of violin training?
Mainly Fiddlerman’s tutorials. Sometimes I watch some other videos from youtube but not very often.

How do you warm up?
Well, I really don’t. I just start playing notes and scales with the chromatic tuner and audio files that I made with Audacity.

What is your favorite type of music?
That’s a tough one. Classical music has most anything, but I like pop/hip-hop too.

What is your favorite piece of music? Why?
I’ll probably have to say Liebestraum by Franz Liszt.
Love Dream or Dream Of Love is the translation. To me it describes feeling of love a person has for another. It can also be taken in a Religious sense to describe the great love God has for us.

What are your 2 favorite things to do other than playing violin?
I’m gonna change the question a little bit, “what are your 2 favorite things to do other than playing music?”
They would have to be going to Mass (Church)/praying and hanging out with family and friends.

Do you come from a musical family? If so please tell us about them.
My dad was in a Church group that would go to people’s houses and sing for their birthdays. They might’ve sang for special occasions too, not sure though. He plays guitar a little, not very often though. His parents used to play guitar too.
My mom played the flute in highschool and was first chair for a while. Her dad used to sing really well too.

Are you a member of any orchestra?
Nope. Talked about starting a group with a friend who plays the saxophone but haven’t done anything yet.

Do you ever perform publicly?
The violin, no, and not for a while 🙂
I play piano recitals and local competitions. I also play for Christmas and Easter caroling with the homeschool group I’m in.

What do you work with?
Not sure what this one means. I work with my schoolwork, and the teacher and principal XD

If you don’t mind, please share with us information about your violin and bow and if you have several please tell us about them as well.
I have a CVN 200 and all the equipment it came with. The review’s Fiddlerman made on it can probably tell you more than I can. About the bows, I’ve only used one of the two. I can kind of tell its cheap but hey, it gets the job done. If you want a good violin and don’t want to spend boocoodles for a good one, get the CVN 200. 🙂